MyCStoreWorld.com, Stone said, was inspired by his wife Emily, who was communicating with family and friends on Facebook. "My wife was so excited about the connections she was making in her online community," he said. "It made me realize this type of platform could be used in a more focused, single-market environment."

Stone [image-nocss] said he recognized that the biggest challenge in the market was a lack of communication. "There's so much professional knowledge and experience to be shared in this business, but there was no one-stop vehicle available for people to ask questions, find advice and share success stories. Until now," he said.

"In just six short months, MyCStoreWorld.com has established a large forum where members are sharing time-saving, valuable information every day," Stone said. "From simply exchanging a buyer's name and contact number, to ground-level, in-the-trench strategic data, MyCStoreWorld.com offers a single destination site where everyone in this industry can find instant access to information that can make them more knowledgeable and more successful."

Unlike other media-driven blogs and discussion groups found on the web, MyCStoreWorld.com is completely user driven, he said. "Every member has an equal voice in this community, from chains to independents, distributors to manufacturers, industry leaders to broker sales representatives," he said.

The average user spends more than 16 minutes exploring the site, said Stone. "It's gratifying," he added, "to see the excitement and exchange of ideas quickly building throughout the c-store community."